The Enforcement Directorate Investigating Attachment of Al Falah University Campus in Faridabad
Following the Red Fort area blast, the Al Falah University campus in Haryana’s Faridabad is under scrutiny by investigating agencies. Official sources have revealed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is considering attaching the campus under the anti-money laundering law.
The ED’s investigation is focused on determining if funds used for the construction of the university were sourced from alleged proceeds of crime, according to PTI sources.
Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, the chairman of the Al Falah Group, was arrested by the ED in November on money laundering charges related to cheating students of educational institutions under the Al Falah Trust. The federal probe agency has alleged that the educational institutes lacked the necessary valid accreditation for teaching.
Sources indicate that a portion of the “proceeds of crime” identified in this case may have been funneled into the construction of various university buildings in Faridabad’s Dhauj area.
The ED is currently in the process of identifying and valuing the movable and immovable assets owned by the Al Falah Trust, which oversees all educational institutions, including the university.
Once the investigation concludes, an order will be issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to provisionally attach assets believed to have been derived from illicit funds.
Despite the potential attachment, students at the university may continue their studies without interruption for the sake of their academic pursuits.
Asset attachment is a preventive measure to ensure that proceeds of crime are not dispersed, sold, or transferred.
In the event of final attachment, a government-appointed receiver may assume control of the Al Falah University campus, safeguarding the students’ education while legal proceedings continue.
The ED’s remand request for Siddiqui in November highlighted that the university and its trust, under his direction, amassed proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 415.10 crore by deceiving students and parents with false accreditation claims.
The agency is also probing alleged instances of forged General Power of Attorney documents for acquiring land parcels in Delhi on behalf of Siddiqui-linked trusts.
The university’s involvement surfaced during investigations into a “white-collar” terror module, resulting in multiple arrests by the NIA and Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Umar-un-Nabi, a doctor at Al Falah Medical College, carried out a suicide bombing outside the Red Fort in November, leading to 15 fatalities.
The ED initiated a case against Siddiqui and the Al Falah Group under the PMLA based on two Delhi Police FIRs, alleging the generation of illicit funds through dishonest practices.
Siddiqui’s defense claimed his innocence, denouncing the FIRs as false and fabricated.
The ED accused the Al Falah University of falsely claiming UGC recognition and misrepresenting its NAAC accreditation status.
NAAC, funded by the UGC, evaluates and accredits higher education institutions in India.
The ED noted the significant growth of the Al Falah Group into a prominent educational entity since the 1990s.
